3mm nodule with cough - Lung & Respiratory Disorders / COPD Message Board

pbourgoyne · 09-01-2008, 03:06 PM

i recently told that i had a 3mm nodule in my right lung was not there last year, a small cough constant, with a little mucus, and a smoker what are the chances of cancer

seajay · 09-01-2008, 08:31 PM

I understand your concern. A three milimeter nodule is a small one. From my experience, the doctors usually choose to monitor these nodules for 2 years with CT scans. Mine have spanned from 3 month intervals to 6 months, now they are going to wait one year. My last scan was in March of this year and my next will be next year in March. This is because there has been no significant change as the nodules range from 5 milimeters to 7 mm. If there was change or growth in the nodules, the doctor would have done a bronchoscopy.

Nodules can be scarring of the lungs due to infection such as pneumonia or bronchitis, as well as other things. With your history of smoking, the doctors may be a little more discerning, but, at this point, they may choose the path of watching and waiting. I know it's frustrating, not knowing, but the lungs are fragile, and invasive procedures to discover only scarring is something the doctors try to avoid.

harka · 09-02-2008, 01:31 PM

Hi pbourgoyne,

The likelihood of the nodule being cancer is based on a number of things. A few large predictors include: age, smoking history and size of the nodule. If you are >50 years of age, and have a >40pack.year history of smoking (a pack.year is the number of packs of cigarettes you smoke [or smoked previously] times the number of years you've smoked) you have a higher chance of having cancer than a 24 year old person who has smoked for only 10 years.

Other things can predict cancer including larger nodules, where the nodule is located, whether it's growing, and the appearance of the nodule itself.

The positive thing for you is that the nodule is on the very small end of things (i.e. <4mm), and often what happens is a CT scan is done on two separate occasions separated by a long period of time. If there is no growth, the chances of the lesion being cancer is very low.